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If you stopped by my class today, you would have experienced the solar system in the palm of your hand, held the world in the palm of your hand, had a fire or glow in the classroom, felt a heart beating, and made molecules! You may have heard students exclaim, "This is so cool," "Wow." or "That's so awesome!" You would have observed students working in groups, collaborating, communicating, and creating.
What is augmented reality?
Augmented reality (AR) is an innovative technology that's transforming classrooms around the world, making learning more interactive, engaging, and fun. Imagine pointing a tablet at a textbook page and having 3D models pop up or students exploring the solar system by simply looking around the room through their smartphones. That's the magic of AR – it overlays digital information in the real world, enriching the educational experience in unprecedented ways.
If you haven't guessed it, today we explored Augmented reality apps for the classroom. You can find the link to the presentation here. We explored several apps during class and discussed how we could use them in our classrooms, including Merge Cube, Anatomy 4D, Chromville, Happy Atoms, and Quiver. I chose these apps because they can work with various grade levels and subject areas and support the curriculum. Preservice teachers have developed innovative ideas to use different classroom apps to support their lessons or curriculum topics. For instance, they suggest using the Chromville app during a morning meeting with young learners to discuss the weather and how to dress appropriately for different seasons. Additionally, to help students learn about body parts, they suggest using Daqri's Anatomy 4D with older students, while they recommend using the Merge Cube Mr. Body app with younger students.
During our class's station rotation, we explored how augmented reality can enhance our curriculum, engage our students, and provide them with a more interactive learning experience.
*Thank you to my amazing students who took great pictures*
